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Retiring Shouldn’t Mean Resigning: The Power of Speaking Up About Your Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

Sponsored by Novartis

Life looks different after a prostate cancer diagnosis. It often involves navigating different medical treatments, health care professionals, and changes in status, which can be emotionally challenging and hard to talk about. This can be especially true for men now planning for or enjoying retirement, who grew up in a generation that was often taught to push their emotions aside for the sake of appearing strong – men who grew up being told to “take it like a man.”

Luckily, today we know that real strength is found in being honest and advocating for yourself. As part of a generation that witnessed and often ushered in monumental changes, these men are bringing the same spirit of resilience and perseverance they’ve shown throughout their lives as they redefine retirement – and what it means to be a man.

These men know they’re feeling more empowered than ever before to help them speak up. They’re finding the courage to keep asking questions until they find the options that are best for them.

An Urgent Need

Prostate cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among men in the US, with these rates higher among those who are aged 75 to 84 or when the disease has advanced. Although prostate cancer can be slow-moving, if it progresses to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), it becomes more aggressive to treat and the rates for five-year survival become lower.1,2 The number of treatment options available that can positively impact survival quickly becomes more limited as the disease progresses to more advanced stages. For patients with mCRPC, it’s vital to advocate and ask their doctor about additional treatment options.

Through conversations with a doctor, patients living with mCRPC may learn about a treatment option called Pluvicto® (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan). Pluvicto is a non-chemotherapy treatment option that can be used after hormone therapy and chemotherapy for men with PSMA*+ mCRPC. It is a targeted treatment called radioligand therapy (RLT) that offers a different approach to cancer care. Patients with mCRPC urgently need to know all of their options—and how these options could give them a chance at more time for the moments that matter.

The Power of Pluvicto

Based on findings from the VISION clinical trial, patients who received Pluvicto plus standard therapy rather than standard therapy alone†

  • Lived a median of 15.3 months vs. 11.3 months
  • Went longer without their cancer getting worse for a median of 8.7 months vs. 3.4 months
  • Saw their tumors shrink or disappear (30% vs 2%)

It’s important for patients with mCRPC to talk to their doctor about options like Pluvicto as soon as possible. To find out if Pluvicto may be the right option for them, patients should ask their doctor about their PSMA status and eligibility. Pluvicto is not chemotherapy. It is the first and only radioligand therapy (RLT) for PSMA+ mCRPC. This means it is designed to find and attack PSMA+ cells, including cancer cells.3-7††

Remember, patients are not alone. Their community, including spouses and partners, adult children, and close friends, can become their advocates so they don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Care partners play a pivotal role in empowering patients with the strength to speak up—and sometimes even take the lead in conversations. Together, patients and care partners understand what truly matters in their lives, so they should take control by talking to their doctor about treatment options that reflect their goals.

Don’t Stop Now

A chance at more time means more possibilities for the small, everyday victories that shape a life, from making a grandchild laugh to the joy of sharing a home-cooked meal.

Through all of the twists and turns, ups and downs, and obstacles that life has thrown, patients have always found a way to keep going. Don’t stop now—ask doctors about the treatment options available to see if Pluvicto is the right treatment.

To learn more about Pluvicto and what to expect from the treatment experience, go to www.Pluvicto.com and see below for Important Safety Information.

*PSMA, prostate-specific membrane antigen.
†Standard therapy was chosen by a doctor from among existing approved treatments and did not include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, systemic isotopes like radium-223 (223Ra), or drugs still being studied.
† † May also damage PSMA+ and other nearby cells.

What is PLUVICTO® (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan)?
PLUVICTO is a radiopharmaceutical used to treat adults with an advanced cancer called prostate-specific membrane antigen–positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PSMA-positive mCRPC) that:

  • has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic), and
  • has already been treated with other anticancer treatments

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about PLUVICTO?

Use of PLUVICTO involves exposure to radioactivity. Long-term, accruing radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk for cancer.

To minimize radiation exposure to others following administration of PLUVICTO, limit close contact (less than 3 feet) with household contacts for 2 days or with children and pregnant women for 7 days, refrain from sexual activity for 7 days, and sleep in a separate bedroom from household contacts for 3 days, from children for 7 days, or from pregnant women for 15 days.

PLUVICTO may cause serious side effects, including:

  • Low level of blood cell counts. Tell your doctor right away if you develop any new or worsening symptoms, including:
    • Tiredness or weakness
    • Pale skin
    • Shortness of breath
    • Bleeding or bruising more easily than normal or difficulty stopping bleeding
    • Frequent infections with signs such as fever, chills, sore throat, or mouth ulcers
  • Kidney problems. Tell your doctor right away if you develop any new or worsening symptoms, including passing urine less often or passing much smaller amounts of urine than usual

Before you receive PLUVICTO, tell your doctor if any of these apply to you:

  • You have low level of blood cell counts (hemoglobin, white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, platelet count)
  • You have or have had tiredness, weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, bleeding or bruising more easily than normal or difficulty stopping bleeding, or frequent infections with signs such as fever, chills, sore throat, or mouth ulcers (possible signs of myelosuppression)
  • You have or have had kidney problems
  • You have or have had any other type of cancer or treatment for cancer, as PLUVICTO contributes to your long-term cumulative radiation exposure
  • You are sexually active as:
    • All radiopharmaceuticals, including PLUVICTO, have the potential to cause harm to an unborn baby
    • You should use effective contraception for intercourse during treatment with PLUVICTO and for 14 weeks after your last dose
    • PLUVICTO may cause temporary or permanent infertility

Before administration of PLUVICTO, you should drink plenty of water in order to urinate as often as possible during the first hours after administration.

The most common side effects of PLUVICTO include:

  • Tiredness
  • Dry mouth
  • Nausea
  • Low red blood cell count
  • Loss of appetite
  • Changes in bowel movements (constipation or diarrhea)
  • Vomiting
  • Low blood platelet count
  • Urinary tract infection
  • Weight loss
  • Abdominal pain

These are not all of the possible side effects of PLUVICTO. Call your doctor for advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see full Prescribing Information.

References
1. National Cancer Institute. Cancer stat facts: prostate cancer. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/prost.html
2. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Prostate cancer prognosis. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/prostate-cancer/prostate-cancer-prognosis
3. Pluvicto. Prescribing information. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
4. Sartor O, de Bono J, Chi KN, et al; VISION Investigators. Lutetium-177-PSMA-617 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(12):1091-1103.
5. Hope TA, Aggarwal R, Chee B, et al. Impact of a specific PSMA PET imaging on management in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer. J Nucl Med. 2017;58(12):1956-1961.
6. Hofman MS, Lawrentschuk N, Francis RJ, et al. Prostate-specific membrane antigen PET-CT in patients with high-risk prostate cancer before curative-intent surgery or radiotherapy: a prospective randomised, multi-centre study. Lancet. 2020;395:12081216.
7. Sonni I, Eiber M, Fendler WP, et al. Impact of 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT on staging and management of prostate cancer patients in various clinical settings: a prospective single-center study. J Nucl Med. 2020;61:1153-1160. doi:10.2967/jnumed.119.237602